Roasted Pepper Quinoa Salad

I've made this twice now and have really enjoyed it both times.

Ingredients:

Two bell peppers (I usually use a red and either a yellow or an orange)
1 cup dry quinoa
Bunch of parsley
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Honey
Salt and Pepper
Two handfuls of Almonds (whole or chopped - I've done both)

What to do:

This is super easy and fast.

Roast the two peppers either under broiler or just in oven until the skin blackens. Set aside to cool. Peel skin off when cool and slice into thin strips.

Cook quinoa. Let cool.

In a big bowl, combine all vegetable ingredients with a drizzle of olive oil, some good splashes of balsamic and a solid squeeze of honey.

Season to taste. If you need some spice or less sweet, just play with the honey and maybe add in some crushed red pepper.

Enjoy! I'll add a picture soon!

Greek Style Turkey Meatball Salad

Tonight we made Greek-inspired meatballs, seasoned with lemon, garlic, and oregano.  They are egg-free; the almond meal, flax seed, and olive oil help hold them together and keep them moist.  I know I've seen sprouted-grain pitas somewhere...next time I find them I might pick some up and make gyros.  

 

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (or chicken)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tb. oregano
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 2 Tb. flax seed
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup almond meal

Directions:

1. Mix the ground meat with the spices, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and flax seed.
2. Next, mix in almond meal.  Start with 1/4 cup, and use more if the meat seems it could use more to hold it together.
3. Round drops of the turkey mixture and place on parchment-paper line baking sheet.  (I got about 18 meatballs from this recipe.)
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Turn meatballs, and bake for 10 more minutes.

We had these on a salad of mixed greens with tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts, cucumbers, feta cheese, and a tzatziki sauce as a dressing.  If we hadn't eaten all the roasted chickpeas, we would have added those on, too!  For the tzatziki sauce I mixed plain whole milk yogurt with lemon juice, dill, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thinly sliced cucumber.  I didn't measure, just added to taste.

Almond Flour Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, so I made this up on Super Bowl Sunday, and while a little dry, they are actually quite yummy. I'll tell you what I did, and then what I think I will do next time I make them.
BTW, they were better the next day!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
1/4-1/2 cup ground flax
2-4 TBSP melted butter (start with 2 and then add more if need more moisture)
2 TBSP Canola oil
1/2 cup Stevia
Drizzle of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
sea salt
Dark chocolate chips, though if I had the cacao nibs, i would have used them!

I mixed everything together and spooned onto a cookie sheet.

Baked them for about 5 minutes on 375, and then flattened them slightly with a spatula. Continue to bake until they begin to turn a golden brown.

Transfer to a cooling rack.

They can be crumbly, and a bit dry the first day, but they are quite yummy.

Next time, I will half the stevia and maybe add a good squeeze of agave or honey. This will limit the "stevia" after taste as well as maybe add some binding power with the stickiness of the syrup.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers 2

Made these stuffed peppers with what I had in the fridge last night and Ryan and I have both decided they are a new favorite.  If you don't do dairy you'd have to do some major substitutions!

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers, assorted colors
• 1 package chicken breast (3)
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 8 oz. raw milk organic cheddar cheese, shredded (found it at Aldis!)
• 1/3 cup fresh salsa
• 2 jalapenos, diced
• ~1 cup corn (I used thawed frozen corn)
• 1 Tb. cumin
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. I let the chicken cook on low in the slow cooker all day with about one cup of water, then drained the water and shredded the chicken.
2. Get the cream cheese to room temp by leaving it out while you chop ingredients or microwave it a half minute on a low power.
3. Mix the shredded chicken, jalapeno, corn, and salsa.  Fold in cream cheese and stir until evenly mixed.  Then add the shredded cheese (set a bit aside to top peppers) and mix again.  Then, stir in the seasonings.
4. Cut bell peppers in half, remove seeds, and wash.  Place bell peppers in a Pyrex dish.  (I did use a little olive oil sprayed on pan.)  Fill peppers with mixture.  Top with a sprinkling of remaining cheese.
5. Cook for 30 minutes.

We served these with guacamole on top which was really delicious.  The filling would be good with some quinoa and or beans as well.  You could easily add diced peppers, green onion, cilantro, or anything else your little heart desires as well.